


Dinosaur Nuggets and a Pile of Mush

by theotherme



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Brothers, Dean Winchester is Sam Winchester's Parent, Kid Dean Winchester, Kid Fic, Kid Sam Winchester, No Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, POV Dean Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Young Dean Winchester, Young Sam Winchester, not wincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:46:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theotherme/pseuds/theotherme
Summary: The Origins of Bitch and Jerk
Relationships: Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	Dinosaur Nuggets and a Pile of Mush

The first time it happened was when they were very young. Dean couldn’t have been more than ten and Sammy no more than six. Dean was running very low on cash and had only been able to buy one microwavable meal which would obviously be for his brother. Dean could go without dinner for a night, had already done so the night before as well, so there wasn’t much internal debate. As he made his way back to their motel room, he noticed a pretty old vending machine next to the icebox. He looked down at his change to see if he could spare any, but decided against it when he remembered Sammy’s birthday was coming up. Figuring he’d take a chance, he pressed a couple buttons and pounded the side of the machine. Like magic, a granola bar rolled out, and Dean grabbed it. He was only able to get a few more before he heard someone coming up the stairs around the corner, and he left before finding out who it was. Those couple bars would definitely cover him for the next few meals. Once back inside the room, Dean saw Sammy watching cartoons just as he left him and moved over to the microwave. 

“Sammy! Dinner!” The kid immediately looked up, eyes bright with excitement. 

“What’d you get? Did you get the dinosaur nuggets?” Dean hid a grimace as he turned around to put the meal in the microwave. The one with the dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets was a name-brand and a full dollar-fifty extra. But this was Sammy, and it was his sixth birthday tomorrow, so yeah he splurged on it. 

“You’ll just have to wait and see, now, won’t you?” Sammy stuck his tongue out but sat at the dinky little table, energy bubbling out of him. When Dean presented him with the nuggets, the squeal and grin he got in return totally made up for the lack of dinner the past couple nights. Dean stood there for a bit, watching his baby brother carefully devour his food, and was halfway to the couch when Sam made a small disgusted noise and pushed the container away.

“Dee, I’m finished.” Dean came back over and saw with dismay that Sam had left the steamed corn and baked beans alone and eaten everything unhealthy around it. Dean couldn’t really blame him, they looked frankly disgusting all steamed and mushy. Regardless, he pushed the container back to his brother with a stern face. 

“Sammy, you gotta eat your vegetables. If you don’t, then you’ll stay pint-sized forever. Do you want that?” His brother shook his head but still made no move to continue eating. Even after a meaningful look, Sammy just glared at him. Dean took a deep breath but couldn’t stop himself from snapping. “Alright look. Stop being a little bitch, and eat your frigging vegetables, okay? You don’t got a choice here, Sammy.”

“Don’t call me that! That’s a bad word!”

“Tough, loser. I’m gonna keep calling you a bitch if you keep acting like one. Now eat your vegetables.”

“You’re being such a… jerk! A mean jerk! Why do I gotta eat this gross mush? Where’s your vegetables?” Dean still had a good foot on Sammy and could knock him out in a fight, but when the younger boy was upset, his fury almost reminded him of their dad’s. Instinctively, he swallowed at the reminder and glared at his baby brother before resolutely walking to the couch. 

“I already ate mine,” he said as he flipped through the channels for something with lots of explosions. “S’why I’m so much taller than you. Eat yours, and just maybe you’ll catch up to me.” After setting on some re-run of Dungeons and Dragons, he fiddled in his hoodie pocket for one of the granola bars. He only managed to grab four, and he really should save at least one for Sammy in case he got hungry later, but he was too frustrated to think properly and ripped one open. Once he got through it he realized he hadn’t heard one peep from Sam. Turning to look at his brother, he saw him looking down at his hands. Dean immediately felt like the biggest tool. Who yells at an almost six-year old kid? He walked over to his brother, but before he could apologize Sammy looked up at him. 

“Dee? Where’s your food?” Dean was going to say he already ate his, but saw that Sammy was holding the receipt in his hands. He changed tactics.

“I wasn’t too hungry tonight so I just grabbed a couple granola bars. Did ya want one?” Sammy shook his head, still holding the receipt. 

“You didn’t eat last night either,” he murmured. Dean pretended not to hear him. 

“So what’s the verdict on the veggies? Are we eatin’ them?” Sammy looked up at him with his big ole’ puppy eyes, bottom lip jutting out a little bit, and for a second Dean was terrified he’d start crying, but Sammy just nodded and began to spoon the still mushy, but now cold as well, veggies into his mouth. “I could heat them again if ya want?” Sammy just shook his head and shoveled in another bite. 

Although they didn’t speak about it, Dean knew that on some level, Sammy understood what had happened that night, and there were far less arguments about eating vegetables, no matter how mushy. The next time Dean called Sammy a bitch, he was upset about their dad not being able to come to his first day of first grade. Their dad had important stuff to do, but Dean would be there to drop him off and pick him up, so what was the problem? Sam called him a jerk that morning, but came home with a crayon drawing of the two of them. They’d be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos induce some fresh serotonin production and constructive criticism improves me as a writer:)


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